Award-winning blog for book reviews, author interviews, and anything writing-related.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Interview with romance author E.M. Bannock

My
special guest today is E.M.
Bannock, member of Romance Writers of America. She’s chatting with me about
her new modern western romance, Totally
Devoted.

During her virtual book tour, E.M. will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes
and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be
entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of
winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!Bio:

E.M.
Bannock was born in 1950 and grew up in the Detroit suburbs. Her love for
writing began during high school where she excelled in writing short stories
and poetry. Born with the wanderlust, she found herself in Los Angeles, an
exciting place to be in the early 70’s, and E.M. experienced all that it had to
offer. It was here she met her husband. She has lived in California, Oregon,
Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, where she now lives with her husband, son,
daughter-in-law, grandson and a menagerie of cats, dogs, chickens, and horses.

Welcome,
E.M. Please share a little bit about your current release.

Thank
you for having me, Lisa. I’m very excited to be here and hopefully get some new
readers. I love sharing my book.

Totally Devoted begins 10 years after
the death of the main character’s son and husband. Marie Trousdale, a strong,
independent, professional has spent that time working and little else. Her
current job, Project Manager for a software company, has her flying around the
country in a whirlwind of fuzzy faces and board rooms that all look the same.
When her home in southern California gets condemned as part of an urban development
plan, she realizes that she’s been stagnant for 10 years and longs for a
change.

She
decides to move to Oregon and hires Wil Townsend, a local contractor, to build
a home for her on the property she inherited from her late husband.

Wil
had lived a quite life in rural Oregon up to this point. Right after high
school his young wife left him with their infant son. Soon after that, she
died, leaving Wil to raise the boy alone. Wil is tough, rugged, and rough
around the edges but honest, trustworthy, and devoted to family.

Marie
and Wil clash from the start and mix like oil and water. But hidden emotions
surface and bring out long forgotten passions.

Marie
is determined to change professions so that she can spend more time in Oregon
and be with Wil but the profession she chooses puts her at odds with him and
his traditional values and puts her own life in danger. Wil must then decide if
his love for Marie can save them both.

There
is also a subplot involving family drama on Marie’s end which I’m sure some of
my readers will be able to identify with. This subplot has some interesting
twists.

There’s
some pretty steamy sex scenes in the book. I make no apologies for them. They
fit for the time and the place. You can always skim over them if you like. But
I bet you’ll be coming back for a peek.

The
majority of the book takes place in Oregon. A place I’ve lived and love. The
places I describe when Marie and Wil are horseback riding are all written from
memory of places I’ve ridden in the Oregon mountains. It’s very beautiful there
and I hope I’m able to bring that beauty to life to my readers as well.

What inspired you to write this book?

I
began this book shortly after the death my sister, Cheryl, from Breast Cancer.
In fact, she was the inspiration for the subplot. It was actually kind of
therapeutic.

The
main plot of the book came to me in a dream, if you can believe that, and the
entire outline of the book played out in my head one afternoon in a jet plane
on the way to my sister, Annette’s, house. It took a couple of years to write
it. I actually started it in 1998. Back then there was no self publishing or eBooks.
I typed it out, printed several copies, and sent them to publishers in New York
only to be rejected.

The
book sat in my computer for years, moving from computer to computer as I
upgraded and when an opportunity in 2013 came to self publish, I jumped on it.
I learned a lot but with no marketing budget or experience the only thing I got
was the personal satisfaction of seeing my book in print.

Through
a chain of coincidences, I was introduced to 5 Prince Publishing who took an
interest in the book and a chance on me, for which I am very grateful. They
worked with me to edit the book and make it even better than before. I am very
proud of the finished product and hope I bring entertainment to many readers.

Excerpt from Totally Devoted:

Chapter
7

And like the endless rush of rain flowing from the barn
toward the ditch, he opened up to her. He told her the whole sorry tale of
falling in love, getting Maggie pregnant, getting married, having Duke, and
being abandoned by Maggie. He ended with the phone call from Maggie’s mother
and the news of her death.

He said it without emotion. It was almost as if he was
describing someone else’s life. His story filled Marie with such sorrow. How
could a mother desert her own child? How could she throw away such a precious
gift? And poor Wil…to have lived through that pain. No wonder he was so afraid
to love again. She wanted to reach out to him and comfort him. She wanted to
tell him that she would never hurt him, if he would only give her the chance.
Instead, she just sat there, stunned in amazement. The only thing she could say
was, “I’m sorry.”

What exciting story are you working on
next?

Right
now, I’m working on a book called Zoey’s
Place. It’s about another strong, independent, professional woman (an
attorney) who is in a loving, happy, successful, sexually passionate marriage
(some called it kinky). Her beloved husband is suddenly killed while on a
business trip, she quits her practice and tries to adjust to a life alone,
without her partner, without a sex life, a life without meaning.

After
a series of events she decides to open up a spa/brothel for women and uses the
varied sexual role-playing escapades she shared with her husband as the basis
for the brothel experiences. It’s a success.

Then
as if it were planned, things begin to go wrong and it’s up to Zoey to figure
out who or what is behind it. I’ll give you a hint. It has something to do with
a ghost from her legal career past.

I’m
still planning on a HEA ending but haven’t figured out how to fit it in and who
Zoey will end up with.

When did you first consider yourself a
writer?

I’ve
always enjoyed writing from as far back as I can remember. My father was a
great story teller. I guess that inspired me. I was infatuated with poetry at
first. There were no computers when I was growing up. I know that gives my age
away, but it encouraged me to read and write. I loved romance novels and it was
even better if there was a sex scene in it; quite a thrill for a Catholic
school girl.

I’ve
written on and off my whole life, poems, short stories, a newsletter article
now and then, and always held out the idea of writing books and becoming an
author. And now I am one.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?I do not write full-time. I would love to, but I can’t afford it. I live in
a very rural area of Wyoming and you have to do what you can do make a living.
My husband and I run a small, very small, construction company. I am also a
volunteer and State Certified substitute teacher for our little K-5 elementary
school. I can sub for the teacher, the two Para-educators, and/or the cook. We
have fourteen students at school this year. I love them all.

We
also have horses, chickens, and a garden which require daily care. I write when
I can. When I get in a groove I can write for days taking breaks only for food,
or care of my family members. I also enjoy reading, watching selected TV,
enjoying the beautiful state of Wyoming, and my favorite pastime, spending time
with my one and only grandson.

What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?

I
like throwing the reader a curve ball. Just when you think everything is okay,
BAM! You never see it coming and you can’t figure out how it will resolve. I
like to explore the unexpected and keep the reader turning the page and staying
up reading all night to find out.

I
also like to keep it real life, whether that means crude talk, sex, hard facts
of life, or whatever, I don’t sugar coat. And I like to add a touch of humor. I
hate depressing books.

As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?

Actually,
I wanted to be a cowboy. I even had a cowgirl (skirt instead of chaps) outfit
with fringe trim and a cowboy hat. I even had a toy six gun and holster.

My
parents were very old world traditional and I was pushed to get married, have
children, and be a housewife. Something inside me “No Way” and I’ve been a
rebel ever since, even burned a bra or two. I left home at eighteen and never
looked back. When you read my books you won’t be able to tell what is written
from real experience and what is made up.

Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?

I
hope I’ve sparked your interest in Totally
Devoted. I think you’ll enjoy the ride. Make sure you have plenty of ice
water handy cause it gets pretty hot in some parts.

Keep
reading. Every book is a new adventure. And lastly, please, please, please,
leave reviews for authors. We thrive on the feedback. I read once where an
author uses the names of readers in their future books who leave great reviews.
It’s an idea I think I’ll adopt. I’ve already gone through sisters, brothers,
and cousins. It also helps in this electronic age of social media. Most people
depend on the reviews of others to make their purchases.

I'm listed!

Blog Tour Partner - Goddess Fish

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!